Grip for cable carriers.



G. A. AMSDEN.

GRIP FOR GABLE CARRIERS.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 23, 1912.-

. 5 & 2- 4 2.9 WITNESSES.-

IIVVENTOR.

I yen W a. awn/ 62; ,WQZ; CZ JyAQMW 1) ATTORNEY.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. F'HOTO-LITHO WASHING TON. IJv c UNITED STATES NT QFFIE GEORGE A. AMSDEN, LITTLETON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON i 7 COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GRIP roRcARLE CARRIERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Application filed July as, 1913. Serial no. 780,692.

Littleton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grips for Cable Carriers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cable carrier cash boxes and the like and more particularly to an improved cable gripping device for the same; and has for one of its objects the provision of means, in certain preferred types of grip, for preventing the imposition of undue stress upon the cable under certain conditions of operation.

It further aims at the provision of such a grip construction as will positively and reliably engage a carrier propelling cable in a preferred manner while reducing wear and tear upon both the cable and grip substantially to a minimum.

These and other objects of my invention will be hereinafter referred to and the novel elements and combination of elements whereby they may be attained will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawing 'I have exemplified a preferred grip construction, but I am aware that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I hence desire to be limited only by the scope of said claims.

In the several views like characters of reference designate like parts.

Referring to the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carrier mounted upon a suitable track and having its grip 'operatively engaged with a propelling cable. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the same. Fig. 3 is a section taken, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, upon lines IIIIII. Fig. 4 is a fragment of the slotted bottom plate of the carrier.

The carrier rides upon rails 1 of any suitable description and preferably comprises a cash box or receptacle 2, the bottom of which is secured to a preferably built-up fiber plate 3 which is cut away, as at 4, to afford recesses in the edges thereof for the rails 1. Riveted to the bottom of the fiber plate is a metal plate 5, the general contour of which corresponds with the outline of the bottom of the fiber plate 3, but which is provided with lugs 6 and 7 which extend out laterally below the respective tracks and effectively prevent inadvertent disengagement of the carrier from said tracks. The rivets which hold the plates 3 and 5 in place in the carrier have been designated 8.

The carrier is preferably provided with a hinged cover 9; having a spring 10 which tends to force said cover into its open position; the cover being adapted to be latched closed by a resilient latch 11 mounted upon the inside of the box 2, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The mechanism for gripping the cable 12 is preferably mounted in a suitable recess in the fiber plate 3; and the grip proper comprises two jaws or elements, one of which, designated 13, is pivotally mounted within a preferably separate inclosure 14 in the box; the member 13 having a shank 15 which extends up into this inclosure and is journaled in brackets 16 therein. These brackets are spaced apart to permit of the reception therebetween of a tooth or prong 17 which extends laterally from the shank 15 at an angle to the horizontal portion 18 of element 13, as shown in Fig. 2.

A leaf spring 19, riveted as at 20 to the I tend to continue such movement in the same direction until the jaw has reached the limit of its travel in said direction.

The pivoted jaw proper rides in an arcuate slot 23 in the plate 5 and corresponding slot in plate 3, and the walls of slot 23 constitute the means for limiting the travel of said element in one direction or the other. Said jaw is preferably rather deeply recessed for the reception of the cable 12, and

when disposed as shown in Fig. 2 co-acts with the grip member or element 22 to clamp the cable therebetween in a reasonably firm manner. The grip member 22 is also preferably pivotally mounted as at 25; being secured to the bottom of the box 2 by a strip 26, or the like, the inner side of which is bifurcated for the reception of the inner end of the member 22 and is further bent downwardly and around to receive the pivoting lugs 27 of the jaw 22. This jaw is preferably of substantially the same length as the depending or cable-gripping portion of the grip element 13, and is further preferably provided with an outstanding lip 28 which is cut away, in correspondence with the recess 2a in the element 13, for the reception of the other side of the cable 12. I also prefer to slightly recess the body of the member 22, as at 30, to avoid unnecessary wear upon the cable. This recess 30 gradually deepens, as best shown in Fig. 2, as the left hand edge of the member 22 in said figure is approached.

The slot 23' while generally arcuate in character is provided with an offset portion 31 through which the grip member 22 extends; and the upper wall of this slot, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, provides means for limiting the downward movement of said member, while the wall 32, shown in Fig. 4, is adapted for engagement with the outer edge of the lug 28 and serves to limit movement of the member 22 toward the center of the carrier. A spring 33, also mounted within the fiber plate, normally holds jaw 22 in this last mentioned position; said spring preferably being held in place by a lug 34: upon the outer side of the member 22 and a corresponding but preferably shorter lug 35 which extends thereinto from the side of plate 3.

The device operates as follows: The grip member 13 when in its open position will be disposed at the extreme left of the slot 23, as viewed in Fig. 2, and obviously at such time the carrier will not be in operative engagement with the .cable. Vhen, however, the member 13 is swung around in wardly in any suitable manner, its spring 19 at first opposes such movement but thereafter aids it, and co-acts with the moving cable to drive said member around into the position in which it is shown in said figure. When so disposed the cable 12 is quite firmly gripped between the jaws 13 and 22 and the carrier is drawn along therewith toward its destination. struction be encountered which tends to stop the carrier while leaving its gripping parts .in engagement with the cable, the clamping action exercised by the jaws will not be sui'licient to impose a breaking stress upon the cable, but the latter will draw through between the jaws; the yieldingly mounted jaw 22 moving outwardly slightly to accommodate any enlarged portions, connecting rings, or other protuberances or projections which may be present upon the cable and the encountering of which with the gripping mechanism of the carrier when movement of If, now, however, some ob-- the latter is prevented might result, at least temporarily, disastrously to the system.

It is obvious, of course, that if the cable be much worn or undersize the outward movement of the member 22, when the member 13 is thrown into operative relationship therewith, will be but slight; whereas, when the cable is new or oversize, or if enlargements be present thereon which happen to be gripped between the jaws 13 and 22, the

latter will correspondingly yield a greater amount.

I am aware that attempts have been made to provide yielding jaws in cable-gripping devices; but such jaws have usually been in the extremities of leaf springs, o the like, and have not been found in practice to be altogether satisfactory. I am also aware that fixedjaws have been used in combination with pivotally mounted jaws; the latter being, however, unyielding in character when operatively disposed. Gripping mechanisms of this latter character have been found quite satisfactory in use, except that they tend to subject the cable to unnecessary wear or indeed. at times to even cause breakage thereof. The present mechanism embodies the good features of both types of cable-gripping apparatus while not being subject to the disadvantages of either; and it will be particularly noted that while both jaws are movably mounted, one only is yieldingly mounted when the device is operative as a whole.

In conclusion I particularly redirect attention to the sloping wall of the recess 30 in the member 22, which, as will be noted, is so shaped as to permit of a wedging action being exerted upon the member 22 by a connecting ferrule or link, or other protuberance or projection, upon the cable when the carrier is held against forward movement by the cable and its gripping device is operatively engaged with the latter. I further particularly direct attention to the fact that one of the jaws of the grip mechanism is pivoted in a vertical plane while the other is pivoted in a horizontal plane, or in other words, the pivotal axes of the jaws are substantially at right angles to each other.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. A carrier having a cable gripping mechanisnr comprising two pivoted jaws, the pivotal axis of one of which is disposed substantially at right angles to that of the other of said jaws.

2. A carrier having a cable gripping mechanism comprising two pivoted jaws, the pivotal axis of one of which is disposed substantially at right angles to that of the other of said jaws, and resilient means for pressing one of said jaws into cable-gripping relationship with the other of the same.

3. A. carrier having a cable-gripping mechanism comprising a pair of jaws extending outwardly from said carrier, one of said jaws being pivotally connected to the carrier, resilient means for holding said pivoted jaw in either of two positions into which it may be moved, a second of said jaws being adapted to co-act with the first to clamp a carrier-propelling cable therebetween when said pivoted jaw is disposed in one of said positions, and provisions for allowing one of said jaws to yield when un due stress is imposed thereon by a part of said cable, to limit the pressure which may be exerted by said jaws upon said cable.

4:. The combination of a track with a cable and a carrier having a cable-gripping mechanism comprising a pair of jaws one of which is yieldingly mounted and the other of which is adapted to substantially rigidly oppose pressure exerted thereagainst by a cable gripped between said jaws, said last mentioned jaw being movable in a plane substantially parallel to that of said track and said yieldingly mounted jaw being movable in a plane angularly disposed with respect to said track.

5. The combination of a track with a cable and a carrier having a cable-gripping mechanism comprising a pair of jaws one of which is ieldingly mounted and the other of whic is adapted to substantially rigidly oppose pressure exerted thereagainst by a cable gripped between said jaws, one of said jaws being movable in a plane substantially parallel to that of said track and the other of said jaws being movable in a plane angularly disposed with respect to said track.

6. The combination of a track with a cable and a carrier having a cable-gripping mechanism com rising a pair of jaws one of which is yieldingly mounted and the other of which is adapted to substantially rigidly oppose pressure exerted thereagainst by a cable gripped between said jaws, one of said jaws being movable in a plane substantially parallel to that of said track and the other of said jaws being movable in a plane substantially at right angles to that of said track.

7. A carrier having a receptacle, track engaging guide parts and a cable-gripping mechanism, said mechanism including two jaws outwardly projecting from a wall of said receptacle and both of said jaws being pivotallv connected to said receptacle, one of said jaws being movable in a plane substantially parallel to the wall 01 said receptacle to which the other of said jaws is pivotally connected and said last mentioned jaw having the pivotal axis thereof in parallelism with sald wall.

8. A cable carrier'having a slotted plate attached thereto and a pair of cable-gripping jaws movable in the slot in said plate in divergent paths, said plate adapted to limit the movements of said jaws.

9. A cable carrier having a pair of cablegripping jaws movable apart from each other in divergent paths, means for holding one of said jaws normally in a part of its path of movement which is nearest the path of the other of said jaws and means for holding the other of said jaws normally in one of two positions in one of which it is nearest said first mentioned one of said jaws and in the other of which it is most remote from the path of said last mentioned jaw.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. AMSDEN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES O. LAURIN, ,MARY BUCKLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

